Thursday Lunches
by SpellboundWriter
Summary: Remus meets Lily for Thursday Lunch one more time. A slight hidden bit of saddness. One of my favorite works. Complete!


They had lunch every Thursday at four. Like clockwork he would walk down to the pub on fiftieth street and wait for her to apparate in, always late from some sort of work at the Department of Mysteries. What work of course, she could never say, but he had always trusted her integrity. Her hair would be ruffled and her cloak thrown haphazardly over her shoulders as she walked in and found him, her face always lighting up in a smile when she saw he was sitting in their assigned booth. As always, her smile would grow and illuminate her face, first from the right and then to the left, growing so her white teeth showed and the ruby color of her lipstick folded up into a small line.

They had started their lunches the first week her and James had started seeing each other, that tremendous history-setting week in which (as far as everyone else knew) James and Lily had finally stopped being so stubborn and started snogging. Remus, on the other hand, had known for quite a while that Lily had always adored James but just adored picking on him more and it wasn't until a lost bet that she had agreed to see him for a bit. Nevertheless, that was history, long forgotten history that had stopped being the brunt of their jokes well into their twenties. James had made Remus promise to go on the silly lunches merely to find out how Lily was. Remus thought the idea only showed James' thick-headedness because it was nearly impossible to find a quiet place to sit alone and chat during their Hogwarts years. Regardless, James had always insisted, so Remus went, even if he and Lily never spoke of what James' intended.

Although Remus would never tell James (he was rather a jealous sort and not the type of person Remus ever wanted to see on the other end of a wand), he had known Lily long before James' had crushed on the girl. They had sat on the train together the first day, talking of things from literature to history. Lily had challenged him in ways he had never known a girl to challenge him before. She was quirky, smart, and rather beautiful. Remus had always secretly admired her eyes, which were a vivid almond green with long lashes. He had been the first to hear of her devotion for James, no matter how secretive, and the first person she had hugged the day James had asked her out.

Remus had been the firsts of many for James and Lily. He had known the minute it happened of their engagement and their plans of joining the Ministry. It was he, not James, who had first learned of Lily's pregnancy. He had known first that it was a boy. Lily had confided in him first when it came to finding a host for their Fidelius charm and the last person she had seen before the two of them had disappeared. He had been the last one to give Lily Evans-Potter a kiss on the cheek and his best friend a pat on the back.

Eighteen years later, Remus Lupin found himself sitting in their assigned booth, although the pub looked much different. The walls were a beautiful white color. The sky outside was blue and cheery. The pain, death, and worry of the old years had grown and withered away. All that left was good. He felt himself let out a deep breath as his wristwatch clicked to four. He left out a deeper one as Lily walked in, her hair ruffled and her cloak thrown on haphazardly. She smiled at him, first right then to left, before sliding into the seat with him, her teeth as brilliant white as he remembered them.

"I've missed you," she said simply before letting her hand sit atop his. It was lightly warm.

"I've missed you too," he replied, not knowing what else to say, "It's been so long. So much has happened. Harry…"

"Oh how is he?" she interrupted.

"Fine. Well. Married to a girl named Ginny. She looks remarkably like you," He mumbled, "And you? How is James?"

"James is well. He's with Albus and Sirius actually. Would you like to go see them?" she asked, stepping away from the table. She extended a hand, her almond eyes locking on him. They were still as brilliantly green as they had been the day he met her. They had not aged. She had not aged. Nothing had.

Remus followed her, for reasons he did not know. He felt compelled to go see his best friends again, to sit and talk and joke like they always had, without Fidelius charms, wars, and a family forcibly broken apart. With time to spare and ages to spend. He knew, although he wasn't too sure why, that he would see Harry again someday. Harry and Tonks and all the other people he had met and seen. Maybe he would invite Harry to Thursday lunches. He was sure, with an eternity of peace standing before them, lunches would resume.


End file.
